Raspberry Pi is a tiny ARM-based single board computer that enables a TV to run Linux and scripting languages such as Python.

Designed by Cambridge business men and academics to engage children with computer science and thereby improve the skills pool from which they draw employees and undergraduates, it is causing a stir in the developing world.

“In 1996, the average skill set of someone entering university was a couple of machine code languages and some hardware hacking experience. Now if we have someone that has written a web page we are lucky,” former University of Cambridge lecture Dr Eben Upton told Electronics Weekly.

Desktop

The helpful manager of my nearest location wasn’t himself well-versed in hardware requirements for Linux, but all he really needed to assemble a system for me was my short list of critical components; most of the other parts were cherry-picked from a list of weekly specials.

Server

May 19, 2011, 12:00 AM — IBM, HP, Intel and a host of smallish Linux vendors have launched a brave new group called the Open Virtualization Alliance dedicated to creating an open standard in server virtualization for the enterprise.

The OVA seems to be made up of two main groups, neither one of which is really interested in the purpose for which OVA was ostensibly formed.

The first is Red Hat, Novell and Eucalyptus Systems – Linux vendors transparently hoping a big consortium will help expand the Linux-specific virtualization market enough to make them popular again.

Audiocasts/Shows

Kernel Space

Graphics Stack

Even with the likely release of the Linux 3.0 kernel, open-source graphics drivers continue to be a big problem for the Linux desktop. While they have improved a lot in recent years, for many Linux users they can cause horrific headaches. Recently it was mentioned on Phoronix that Intel Sandy Bridge is in bad shape for Ubuntu 11.04 and that it even broke upstream in Linux 2.6.39, but Intel’s far from being the only driver experiencing a choppy boat ride.

Applications

While Ubuntu Tweak is a dedicated Ubuntu only application, Ailurus is available for our friends, Fedora, Arch and Mint also. Now you can only go so far with these tweakers, and it looks like Ailurus has gone that extra step into taking the users deeper within their desktop! Not only is this a potent tweaker, it also aims to make your Gnome experience must more personal; and as a bonus, can teach you tricks each time you use it!

It might just be my experience of the things but I do tend to take claims about laptop or netbook battery life with a pinch of salt. After all, I have a Toshiba laptop that only lasts an hour or two away from the mains and that runs Windows 7. For a long time, my ASUS Eee PC netbook was looking like that too but a spot of investigation reveals that there is something that I could do to extend the length of time before the battery ran out of charge. For now, the solution would seem to be installing eee-control and here’s what I needed to do that for Ubuntu 11.04, which has gained a reputation for being a bit of a power hog on netbooks if various tests are to be believed.

Because eee-control is not in the standard Ubuntu repositories, you need to add an extra one for install in the usual way. To make this happen, launch Synaptic and find the Repositories entry on the Settings menu and click on it. If there’s no sign of it , then Software Sources (this was missing on my ASUS) needs to be installed using the following command:

Desktop Environments

K Desktop Environment/KDE SC)

There are a few applications that are so handy as to be almost indispensable and yet seem to get very little attention. Some applications are written of time and time again. But I’ve seen very little on KAlarm. Perhaps it’s because KOrganizer Reminder Daemon is integrated into KDE PIM and seems rather full-featured. But whatever the reason, I personally use KAlarm for my reminders.

I use KAlarm quite a bit because I don’t have a hard-fast 9 to 5 schedule. So when I make an appointment it can be difficult to remember. That’s where KAlarm comes in.

Does your business or non-profit use KDE Software somewhere through the technology chain? We are currently looking for for-profit and non-profit companies that utilize KDE in any capacity in order to start to compile a list of who these organizations are, as well as to provide a web portal where resources and information can be aggregated and shared and successes and challenges brought to light.

Red Hat Family

Fedora

Download Fedora 15 here. I am a new fan of the LXDE environment and had to try Fedora’s version. Earlier this month, Lubuntu was officially recognized as part of the Ubuntu family and slated for an official Canonical release come verison 11.10. The only real annoyance with LXDE is that the left and right mouse button settings do not seem to keep when you switch back and forth. Otherwise, I love the low system utilization and the lack of programs installed. But, there are just enough to get the job done without any fluff. What do you think?

Fedora is a unique Linux distribution in that every 6 months a new version is released. And for those that are not aware, Fedora is sponsored by Red Hat, and is basically the beta or cutting edge version that is versions ahead of the more stable and established Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Think of Fedora as the testing grounds for RHEL.

I’ve used Fedora for years, basically because I’ve used Red Hat Linux since the late 1990′s, and I’ve always loved the fact that Red Hat stands behind its products. And Fedora is no exception. But, upgrading entire system every 6 months seems extreme when used on an everyday PC. Or is it?

After I posted our news item of Fedora 15′s release, I got restless. I had to install it. It’s been a long time since I last used the distro for something other than a quick test, so I figure I’m long overdue for a return. And because I haven’t given GNOME 3.0 a single test since its release, how could I pass up killing two birds with one stone?

The last time I installed a Fedora release, there was no GUI installer, so to see one here was a nice surprise. For the most part, those experienced with Linux will have no problem with the installation process, while those not too familiar with it might spend a little more time perusing the options. If there was one minor niggle I could mention, it’d be the network configuration. Whether wireless or wired, it’s not intuitive to setup, and until you proceed to the software portion of the installer, you won’t even know if a connection is active.

Debian Family

The Debian project is proud to announce the availability of a new primary mirror in mainland China. The new mirror, ftp.cn.debian.org, will significantly reduce network latency to the Debian software repositories and help to raise Debian’s profile in China, and is accessible via IPv6 as well as via IPv4. Besides Debian’s package archive, the mirror also offers Debian’s CD and DVD images as well as the backports archive, and for users of Debian’s oldstable release (“Lenny”), the Debian volatile archive.

A few days ago I mentioned Conky, the desktop system resource monitor. I’d been meaning to install this for some time, and did so after my upgrade to Debian 6.0 “Squeeze”. And I was immediately alarmed to see that with only my web browser and email client open, I was using over 450 MB of RAM!

Now, partly this is due to my preferred web browser, Opera. Once upon a time Opera was lean and mean, but after my recent upgrade to Opera 11, I’ve noticed it’s become quite the memory hog, typically using between 100 and 200 MB of RAM. But still, that didn’t explain it all.

Derivatives

Canonical/Ubuntu

Half-left has designed a new theme for Gnome Shell based on the Default Ambiance theme in Ubuntu. The theme looks great and if you use Gnome 3 PPA in Ubuntu 11.04, it would nicely integrate with your desktop.

Most of the computer users are interested in Linux, but still they are little bit worry about the complication process of Linux. However, now the time has been changed and the Linux has come a long way. Now, the beginners can jump to Linux and test the power of Linux quickly and safely.

There are several varieties of Linux application programs available for users, but one of the most popular distributions is Ubuntu Linux. It is also the beginner’s first choice because it’s made to be easy and intuitive to use. The user can get Ubuntu for any computer.

There are several versions of Ubuntu available but the Ubuntu Netbook Remix is the best version for an absolute beginner. The user can use ubuntu with a desktop or notebook computer.

The Ubuntu Netbook Remix is the new version ubuntu Linux. By choosing this version of ubuntu the programmers don’t have to anxious about adding in the configuration thousand of different hardware combination. That means you get a well-organized and splendid little operating system that will perfectly fit your netbook.

Flavours and Variants

The Puppy Linux development team has released version 5.1.2 of their independent Linux distribution code-named “Wary”. In a post on his blog, Puppy Linux founder Barry Kauler says that, in hindsight, he should have labeled the release as version 5.2 due to the number of changes it includes. However, it’s worth noting that a 5.2.x branch already exists which is based on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS “Lucid Lynx” binary packages.

Built using the Woof build system, Puppy Linux 5.1.2 is based on the 2.6.32-40 Linux kernel and is primarily a bug fix release; updates have also been made to the included software. Package updates include version 1.7.0 of the Pmusic music player, version 0.6 of the Wcpufreq frequency scaling tool, Pburn 3.3.4, and Precord 6.1.3. While not included by default, a PET package is available for Firefox 4.0.1.

Linaro, which will celebrate its first anniversary at Computex, has already begun working on developing kernel modules and toolchains for the ARM Cortex A15 system-on-chip (SoC). Stephen Doel, COO of Linaro told The INQUIRER that the Cortex A15 offers a clean slate for Linaro to work on, adding that he wants the chip to have “the best open source support when the system-on-chip comes out”.

Why reinvent the wheel, if it is working perfectly? Mozilla is closely following Google’s lead these days and is now also telling its users that they should not worry about version numbers anymore.

There has been some confusion about Mozilla’s most recent Firefox 5.0 beta release, which reports itself as version 5.0 while the official version number of the software is 5.0b2. Mozilla justified the version number with the fact that the current betas are “much closer” to being a traditional release candidate, which explains the “final” version number.

Oracle/Java/LibreOffice

In response to the disagreements between Oracle and Google on how best to proceed (number of claims Oracle should be permitted to assert at trial and whether a stay should be issued pending reexamination of the asserted patents; See, Oracle v. Google – Sweating the details) the judge has decided to hold both issues open until the pre-trial conference, the trial presently being set for October 2011. Basically, the judge is saying: “You don’t deserve any more time for this trial than any other plaintiff, and my court is awfully busy. If you insist on making this a long and difficult trial, then don’t expect me to schedule it any time soon or before the reexamination is complete.” So this largely throws the issue back to Oracle – either Oracle simplifies the case (and thus shortens the time for trial) by its own accord, or the court will wait for the USPTO to simplify the case through the reexamination process.

Healthcare

The global movement for governments to err on the side of electro-magnetic caution got a huge boost this month. The Council of Europe has issued a new draft resolution and report on device radiation safety that urges its 47 member nations to adopt a “precautionary principle” when it comes to cell phone safety. Such a principle would apparently include banning all mobile phones, DECT phones, WiFi and WLAN systems from classrooms as a measure to protect children.

Openness/Sharing

Open Hardware

“I’ve been using Skype for Asterisk (Digium’s native Skype client for their PBX software) since it was in beta 2 years ago. Today, I received an email from Digium stating that Skype (read: Microsoft) has decided to end the agreement that made the integration possible, and Digium will stop selling the module on July 26th. Support for us existing users will be there for the next 2 years, with Skype’s option to renew at that time, but I’ll believe that when I see it. So much for Microsoft’s promise not to screw over the existing Skype user base.”

the new exciting stuff is no longer vapourware but real Linux systems advertised everywhere and sold everywhere. The release of “8″ could well be in 2013. Certainly M$ will miss another Christmas season where these small cheap (sort of) computers will be shipped in the hundreds of millions.

Defence/Police/Aggression

Gen. Ratko Mladic, the ruthless Bosnian Serb leader charged with orchestrating Europe’s worst massacre of civilians since World War II, was arrested at a relative’s home in a tiny Serbian village on Thursday after a 16-year hunt for the architect of what a war-crimes judge called “scenes from hell.”

Mladic’s dawn arrest removed the most important barrier to the Western-leaning Serbian government’s efforts to join the European Union, and rehabilitate the country’s image as a pariah state that sheltered the men responsible for the worst atrocities of the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

Cablegate

A year after Army Pfc. Bradley Manning was arrested on suspicion of leaking classified info to WikiLeaks, the government is shifting its probe of the whistle-blowing organization into higher gear.

Two weeks ago, a grand jury meeting in a courtroom in the Eastern District Court of Virginia heard testimony for at least two days from at least three people subpoenaed by federal prosecutors, several sources tell The Huffington Post. The jury has been convened to consider whether to approve the prosecution of WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange. A subpoena delivered to a Manning associate in the Boston area says that prosecutors are investigating “possible violations of federal criminal law involving, but not necessarily limited to, conspiracy to communicate or transmit national defence information in violation of” the Espionage Act, as first reported by Salon’s Glenn Greenwald.

And the Army’s court-martial case against Manning is gearing up for the military equivalent of a grand jury to decide if a court-martial trial against the 23-year-old soldier should proceed. Adrian Lamo, the ex-hacker who turned in Manning, is going to meet the chief prosecutor on the case on June 2 and 3, reports Wired.com. During several online chats with Lamo last May, Manning claimed that he was responsible for leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to WkiLeaks, including the “Collateral Murder” video of an Apache helicopter attack on Iraqi civilians and the State Department diplomatic cables that rocked the foreign policy establishment and helped inspire the recent unrest in the Mideast.

Environment/Energy/Wildlife

Japan’s atomic energy specialists are discussing a plan to make the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant a storage site for radioactive waste from the crippled station run by Tokyo Electric Power Co.

The Atomic Energy Society of Japan is studying the proposal, which would cost tens of billions of dollars, Muneo Morokuzu, a professor of energy and environmental public policy at the University of Tokyo, said in an interview yesterday. The society makes policy recommendations to the government.

Finance

The former head of the International Monetary Fund accused of sexually assaulting a New York hotel maid will receive a $250,000 severance payment — paid in part courtesy of the American taxpayer — unless U.S. lawmakers can stop the “golden parachute” from landing in the French politician’s bank account.

The IMF claims it has no discretion in the matter of Dominique Strauss-Khan, who was already pulling down nearly $500,000 as managing director when he resigned after being arrested in New York. The one-time severance, along with a much smaller annual pension, was part of his contract.

PR/AstroTurf/Lobbying

My episodic memory stinks. All my birthday parties are a blur of cake and presents. I’m notorious within my family for confusing the events of my own childhood with those of my siblings. I’m like the anti-Proust.

And yet, I have this one cinematic memory from high-school. I’m sitting at a Friday night football game (which, somewhat mysteriously, has come to resemble the Texas set of Friday Night Lights), watching the North Hollywood Huskies lose yet another game. I’m up in the last row of the bleachers with a bunch of friends, laughing, gossiping, dishing on AP tests. You know, the usual banter of freaks and geeks. But here is the crucial detail: In my autobiographical memory, we are all drinking from those slender glass bottles of Coca-Cola (the vintage kind), enjoying our swigs of sugary caffeine. Although I can’t remember much else about the night, I can vividly remember those sodas: the feel of the drink, the tang of the cola, the constant need to suppress burps.

Civil Rights

In the span of just three years, we have seen drone surveillance become openly operational on American soil.

In 2007, Texas reporters first filmed a predator drone test being conducted by the local police department in tandem with Homeland Security. And in 2009, it was revealed that an operation was underway to use predator drones inland over major cities, far from “border control” functions. This year it has been announced that not only will drone operations fly over the Mexican border, but the United States and Canada are partnering to cover 900 miles of the northern border as well.

Intellectual Monopolies

Copyrights

The Senate Judiciary Committee this morning unanimously approved the PROTECT IP Act by a voice vote after a brief markup; the hugely controversial Internet blacklisting bill now moves to the Senate floor with minimal changes, and may—or may not—soon come to a vote.

The bill builds on last year’s proposed COICA legislation, which would have given the government power to go to court and get a website’s domain name blocked from American DNS servers. Credit card companies and advertising networks would be forbidden to do business with such sites. The bill was also passed unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee, but Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) put a hold on the bill when it came to the floor.

The new version tightens up its definition of infringing sites, but adds things like a “private right of action” for companies who want to cripple sites without waiting for the government to get involved. Search engines are also prohibited from linking to blocked sites.

Major rightsholders are particularly thrilled. The MPAA and the cable lobby both expressed enthusiastic support, and the US Chamber of Commerce said in a statement, “Rogue sites and their operators contribute nothing to the US economy. They do not innovate, they do not pay taxes, they do not follow safety standards, and they do not follow the law. Today’s vote serves as a wakeup call to those who illicitly profit at the expense of American businesses and consumers—the US will not tolerate your careless, reckless, malicious behavior.”

The criminal enterprise known as Microsoft finds itself embarrassingly exposed in the courtroom, for the IRS belatedly (decades too late) targets the company in an effort to tackle massive tax evasions

A look at some of last week's patent news, with imperative responses that criticise corporate exploitation of patents for protectionism (excluding and/or driving away the competition using legal threats)

Vista 10 to bring new ways for spies (and other crackers) to remotely access people's computers and remotely modify the binary files on them (via Windows Update, which for most people cannot be disabled)